Healthy on the Outside, Harmful on the Inside
Many products marketed as healthy—like oat milk, protein bars, shakes, vegetable oils, peanut butter, vegan meat alternatives, and soy products—are actually ultra-processed. This means they've been altered in ways that reduce their nutritional value and can disrupt our metabolism.
The Problem with Ultra-Processing
Processing strips away essential nutrients and introduces industrial ingredients that our bodies aren't designed to handle. It’s not just about losing vitamins and minerals—harsh processing can transform otherwise harmless foods into harmful compounds, disrupting digestion, hormones, and metabolic function.
Hidden Chemicals & Additives: What's Not on the Label
And even if the ingredient list looks clean, it doesn't tell the full story. Many chemicals used in processing don't have to be listed on packaging, including:
Industrial solvents – Used to extract oils or proteins (e.g., hexane in soy and vegetable oils).
Bleaching agents – Used in processed flours and oils, introducing harmful byproducts.
Preservatives – BHA, BHT, and sodium benzoate can disrupt hormones and cause oxidative stress.
Emulsifiers – Found in nut milks and dressings; linked to gut inflammation.
Plastic-derived chemicals – BPA and phthalates from packaging mimic estrogen and disrupt hormones.
How These Foods Affect Your Health
Ultra-processed foods don't just lack nutrients—they actively interfere with bodily processes:
Hormonal Imbalance – Many contain damaged fats, estrogenic compounds, and endocrine disruptors, leading to issues with hormone balance like estrogen dominance, insulin resistance, and adrenal stress.
Gut Damage & Inflammation – Additives like emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners and gluten in bread or flour (even if you are not allergic to it!), can weaken the gut lining, contributing to leaky gut and systemic inflammation.
Blood Sugar Spikes & Crashes – Many are high in refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, and processed carbs, leading to metabolic dysfunction.
Oxidized & Damaged Fats – Industrial vegetable oils (soybean, canola, sunflower, margarine) oxidize easily. They integrate into our cell membranes and making them more fragile and dysfunctional. Also, since cell membranes regulate what goes in and out of the cell, this damage impairs nutrient transport, making it harder for cells to absorb essential vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Over time, this can weaken energy production, disrupt cellular communication, and contribute to chronic inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Breaking It Down: What's Really in These 'Healthy' Foods?
Oat Milk – highly processed grains and added oxidized vegetable oils, gums, and synthetic vitamins, leading to blood sugar spikes and inflammation.
Peanut Butter – High in oxidized fats, mold toxins (aflatoxins), and emulsifiers that burden the liver.
Soy Products – High in phytoestrogens, which mimic estrogen and may disrupt hormone balance.
Protein Bars & Shakes – Often loaded with artificial sweeteners, seed oils, and low-quality protein isolates, making them more of a metabolic burden than a boost.
Baby Formula – Often based on industrial seed oils and synthetic additives, which may lack the beneficial compounds found in breast milk and may put extra strain on a developing metabolism.
Fresh food with no ingredient list is always the way to go!
